Research expertise

With a practice-based research focus, my work in politically driven community based performance has involved working with a range of socially marginalized groups over the past fifteen years. Covering a diverse range of social groups including youth, women, and Indigenous communities, the main medium of publication has been performance. Each research project has involved intensive time periods (up to 2 years per project) working 'with' the community at all stages of the process to develop a social voice for the specific community via the means of theatre and performance. Most projects have been supported by local government and university seeding grants, with one major research based performance "Listening: Indigenous stories from the Central Coast" receiving a major grant from the Theatre Board of the Australian Council of the Arts, The Gosford City Council and the University of Newcastle. This project was also selected as the Faculty of Education & Arts "Research project demonstrating innovation and excellence" for presentation to politicians in Canberra (2004). In addition to theatrical performance, the research outcomes for a range of these projects have been presented at local, national and international conferences.

Pedagogy in the Creative Arts is a current research interest and is especially motivated by my work in pioneering and implementing the interdisciplinary BA major in Creative Arts at the University of Newcastle, Ourimbah campus. With planning now underway to develop a dedicated degree in the Creative and Performing Arts (BCA) at this university, research based on contemporary and cutting edge issues in developing curricula for the Creative Arts is a primary focus. As a sole researcher in this area, I have a particular interest in the relationship between arts policy, industry, and creative arts curricula at national and international levels. I am also researching the role of the undergraduate student as researcher, and the preparation of students as social citizens and culture-makers as central to creative arts curriculum in the 21st century.

As a collaborative researcher I am working closely with my colleague, Dr.Sean Lowry, to explore the relationship between theory and practice in the Creative Arts as well as the nature of interdiciplinarity in Creative Arts curricula (especially between Performance, Visual Arts & New Media). With national and international joint conference papers already presented and a key article published this ongoing research will largely be published in the form of journal articles and book chapters.

Experimental Theatre and Performance has been a long term interest and has included research based practice outcomes generated from some of the projects that I led with two main experimental companies/laboratories at the University of Southern Queensland (La Salle) and the University of Newcastle (Imagined Arts). In pioneering these companies I have been researching the nature of experimental performance that combines undergraduate, postgraduate, staff and professional performing artists. With a particular focus on multi media and post-dramatic forms, the role of the university in the current professional climate that requires flexible arts makers, initiators and independent conceptual thinkers, is a major research focus.

Listening: Indigenous Voices on the Central Coast aimed to contribute to knowledge about the little known Indigenous history of the Central Coast region of New South Wales, and to operate as a medium of reconciliation at the community level. Central to these objectives was the unique research process that centered on Indigenous epistemologies in the production and dissemination of new knowledge.
Indigenous voices were centered at all stages of the research project, involving the sharing of research outcomes for and with the Indigenous community. Culturally appropriate mediums of storytelling and performance were selected over text based academic journals. With an all-Indigenous steering committee of elders and representatives from local Indigenous organizations established to guide the process, members of the local Darkinjung community shared their life stories as the basis for the performance script. The medium of verbatim performance was employed to ensure that the voices of the storytellers were not appropriated.
A layering of community involvement including Indigenous and non-Indigenous performing artists, academics, and students evolved the process. The audience survey questionnaire, and a published newspaper article, suggested the performance informed, inspired and re-energized people. Two international conference papers and the presentation of the project as an exemplar of excellence and innovation in research at the CHASS (Council Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences) forum with politicians at parliament house resulted.

Publications

For publications that are currently unpublished or in-press, details are shown in italics.

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Listening: Indigenous Voices on the Central Coast aimed to contribute to knowledge about the little known Indigenous history of the Central Coast region of New South Wales, and to operate as a medium of reconciliation at the community level. Central to these objectives was the unique research process that centered on Indigenous epistemologies in the production and dissemination of new knowledge.
Indigenous voices were centered at all stages of the research project, involving the sharing of research outcomes for and with the Indigenous community. Culturally appropriate mediums of storytelling and performance were selected over text based academic journals. With an all-Indigenous steering committee of elders and representatives from local Indigenous organizations established to guide the process, members of the local Darkinjung community shared their life stories as the basis for the performance script. The medium of verbatim performance was employed to ensure that the voices of the storytellers were not appropriated.
A layering of community involvement including Indigenous and non-Indigenous performing artists, academics, and students evolved the process. The audience survey questionnaire, and a published newspaper article, suggested the performance informed, inspired and re-energized people. Two international conference papers and the presentation of the project as an exemplar of excellence and innovation in research at the CHASS (Council Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences) forum with politicians at parliament house resulted.

2002

McKinnon J, The Drag king of the sandpit. Performed by ImaginedARTS, written by Sandy O''Sullivan. Central Coast, NSW., Newcastle, (2002) [J2]